Richard Branson Buys Hard Rock Hotel and Casino In Vegas

Sir Richard Branson announced Friday that he is the new owner of the iconic Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The billionaire founder of Virgin Records and the Virgin airlines announced the news barefoot and poolside and flanked by dancers at his new property while he popped a bottle of champagne.

Branson promised that upcoming renovations, which will be completed in late 2019, will be “tasteful, fun.” The operation will be renamed Virgin Hotels Las Vegas once the place is transformed, The Associated Press reported.

The giant guitar out front “may not survive,” Branson warned, and may be replaced with a “giant V.”

The only other Virgin Hotel is in Chicago, but others are planned for New York, Dallas, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Nashville, among other cities.

The Vegas Hard Rock has close to 1,500 rooms and suites. It will remain open during renovations.